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The Internet of Things has gripped the world and provided humankind with extrinsic benefits. People are transforming their traditional homes to smart homes to get control of everything they own whether it be lighting, home entertainment, or room temperature.
Smart homes are attracting a large chunk of people to add convenience and ease the way they control their appliances, tech devices, and much more.
If you are thinking of converting your traditional home to a smart home, the first thing to consider is to opt for high-speed internet. Without that, you won’t be able to control your home and do other internet activities in a seamless manner.
Many internet service providers offer plans and packages that meet your daily internet requirements without any disruptions or lags.
For instance, Spectrum plans offer you unlimited data caps along with speed as high as 940Mbps that are more than enough to handle any smart home environment.
However, with so much ease and convenience, you might need to pay the price in terms of security and privacy threats.
Smart homes undoubtedly provide convenience but also vulnerable to security threats. Approximately 80% of IoT devices are susceptible to cyberattacks.
In this post, we are going to discuss some of the potential attacks on smart home devices that can jeopardize your privacy and security. Without further ado, let’s dive straight into it.
Targeted Attacks
Smart home devices are loaded with your personal and private information including your credit card details to birth dates.
It could prove to be a haven for cybercriminals to steal your private and sensitive data, especially if the devices are not backed with robust protection.
The stolen data can be used in various ways including threatening, blackmailing, or stealing. For instance, if a hacker comes to know that you or someone in your family is under debt, he/she could send a phony request for money.
If you want to avoid such situations, make sure not to share your financial and personal information such as bank details with your smart devices.
Moreover, don’t connect your smart devices to calendars, and other apps containing sensitive and private information.
Weak Passwords are Vulnerable to Greater Risks
Choosing a password has always been a headache for internet users and you may not be an exception. The majority of smart home devices connected on the network are secured with a short, and weak password.
The loophole allows a hacker to get into the device and gain access to tamper with the smart home devices. For instance, the hacker might change the TV channels, turn the lights on and off, or tamper with the room’s thermostat.
To avoid such spooky incidents, make sure to always choose a complex and new password. The ideal password length is 12-18 characters with a combination of smaller and uppercase alphabets, numbers, and special characters. Most of the home devices also use two-factor authentication to give you an extra layer of protection.
If you are not sure about how to secure your home devices, consult manual, or find a solution on YouTube. In case of any assistance, you can contact the customer support of the company.
Tracking Location
Smart home devices are optimal for homeowners to add convenience and ease. We all have faith in our smart devices keeping our information private and secure.
However, when it comes to your location, smart home devices can betray you by giving the information about your location to the hackers.
The hackers can use this information to spy on you and can blackmail or threaten you for some ransom. For instance, clicking on a suspicious link on the computer or smartphone can reveal the user’s location when the device is connected to the same network.
Make sure to allocate a separate network for smart home devices and avoid clicking malicious links. These links can be intimidating and may cause serious problems in the future.
Taking Control of Smart Speakers
Smart homeowners might find themselves in a situation when they feel someone is spying on them. Especially when it comes to smart speakers, many users have complained about unusual activity.
Smart speakers are always listening to what you say.It could lead hackers to exploit security and privacy loopholes to get control of your speaker, command their instructions, and extract prior recordings.
To avoid such situations, make sure to clear the clutter and delete recordings from time to time. Don’t connect your smart door locks or cameras with the smart speaker and turn off when not in use.
Data Manipulation
The devious thing about smart home devices is data manipulation that leaves no evidence of any unusual or suspicious activity. The reason is that the data transferred by smart devices such as TVs, and printers are not encrypted.
This leads the hacker to view and manipulate data collected by your devices. With this method, someone can break into your home and swap the existing video feed with a fake one to avoid getting into jail.
Make sure to use state of the art monitoring tools to stay informed about suspicious activities or operations on the network.
Outdated Software
Most of the homeowners don’t take software update notifications seriously. However, the fact is that using the older version could lead hackers to easily get control of your devices and manipulate them to their advantage.
Whenever a software update is available, make sure to take the action instantly. The software update is meant to remove any security bugs and discrepancies, leading to the security and privacy of your personal information.
Moreover, software updates also remove any loopholes that are vulnerable to security and privacy.
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